Category Archives: Cards

New Hostess Sets

Posted in Cards, Fresh Cuts, Window Dressing by

This cute stamp set is another of the new Hostess Sets which will be available from April 1st.  I think it is just fantastic, there are so many ways the different components can be put together, or used individually, and I will post a few different ideas I have had with this set over the coming days.   

I don’t use my Bold Brights colours enough, so thought I would do so for this card, and use lots of nice bright spring colours (even though it is definitely autumn here), it’s quite cheery!

Stamp Sets: Window Dressing, Fresh Cuts (both available from April 1st)

Cardstock: Whisper White, Close to Cocoa, Pink Passion, Pink Pirouette.

Inks: Black Stazon, Basic Brown, Pink Passion, Gable Green, Yoyo Yellow, Only Orange, Real Red, Pixie Pink, Orchid Opulence.

Accessories: Paper Snips, Small Circle Punch, Markers, Blender pen.

 

Artwork copyright Chris Parker-Barnes

Images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin’ Up!

Echoes of Kindness

Posted in Cards, Designer Series Paper, Echoes of Kindness by

I have been really sick over the past few days with a very nasty throat infection which has been going around.  But I still just had to get out those new colours and stamp sets and have a play.  This card took me all day to complete yesterday, and I kept it nice and simple since I just didn’t have the energy to do too much.  But I am quite pleased with the end result, and have decided that I really do like the new In Colours, I like them a lot! 🙂  I wasn’t too sure about Kiwi Kiss but now that I have started using it I am hooked.  The In Colour Cardstock and Inks will be available on the 1st April, along with all the other new goodies from the 2009/10 Catalogue, but feel free to put your order in with me for the In Colours and the new stamp sets that I have been able to show you, and I will get your order in as soon as the orders open on the 1st April.  Or why not come along on the 4th April to have a look at the new catalogue and make something using the new colours etc.  You do need to book in though and places are limited!  You can get all the details on my Upcoming Events page.

Stamp Set: Echoes of Kindness (Hostess Set available 1st April)

Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Riding Hood Red, DSP Good Morning Sunshine (available 1st April).

Inks: Black Stazon, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red

Accessories: Aqua Brush, Piercing Tool and Mat Pack

 

Artwork by Chris Parker-Barnes

Images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin’ Up!

Blooms Away

Posted in Blooms Away, Cards by

I couldn’t wait to play with this new stamp set!  Called Blooms Away, it is a set of Australian Wildflowers, and I have to say that I am thrilled that Stampin’ Up! have brought out some stamp sets that relate to Australia.  The only problem I had was deciding which, of the millions of ideas running around in my head, I would use first! 🙂

This particular card is inspired by a beautiful, huge Eucalyptus tree in a neighbouring yard, which I can see from my craft room, and which in the late Spring and early Summer, was an absolute mass of pale pink gum blossoms.  It was just spectacular.  For this card I have stamped the Gum Blossom image three times on to watercolour papers, and also just the gum nuts, with black Stazon, then coloured them with blender pens.  I have then cut around them using paper snips and also a craft knife to get into the tricky areas.  I have also cut separate leaves, which I traced around from the cut out image onto some mellow moss cardstock, and then lightly coloured some detail on the leaves with Almost Artichoke.  I decided that the card itself needed little embellishment, as I didn’t want to detract from the spray of flowers and leaves.  I have used the new in colour Baja Breeze as a background colour for the flowers, as our skies here in Australia are sometimes that intense colour of blue, especially in the summer.

And remember, this stamp set will be available for purchase from 1st April, along with lots of other lovely new ones from the new Ideas Book and Catalogue, but in the meantime, I will be posting more ideas soon using this gorgeous stamp set.

Stamp Set: Blooms Away

Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Baja Breeze, Mellow Moss, Watercolour Paper

Inks: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Almost Artichoke, Mellow Moss, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Black Stazon

Accessories: Paper snips, sharp craft knife, blender pens, Tombow glue, piercing tool and mat pack.

 

Artwork copyright Chris Parker-Barnes

Images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin’ Up!

Patchwork Card

Posted in Cards, Designer Series Paper, Simple Delights by

I am really thrilled to be able to tell you that this card was chosen as the winner of Mel Hanlon’s weekly challenge last week.  Thanks heaps Mel, this means so much to me, especially since I know that you get some beautiful work submitted for your challenges.  And thanks also for putting up a challenge every week. 

Yesterday was my sister, Lesley’s birthday, and I made her a stationery box with the gorgeous Summer Picnic Designer Series Paper (unfortunately no longer available) from the 2008 Spring Mini Catalogue.  I had lots of little bits and pieces of the paper left over and wondered how I could use some of them up, so decided to make a patchwork card for her.  And here is the result.   Making this card was lots of fun, I think I will have to try some more patchwork cards, as I do have rather a lot of those little pieces of paper in my stash! 🙂

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Stamp Sets: Simple Delights (retiring 😦   )

Cardstock: Whisper White, Brocade Blue, Summer Picnic DSP.

Inks: Real Red, Versamark, Night of Navy marker

Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, Piercing Tool & Mat Pack, markers, Scallop Edge Punch

The photo is not the best, having been taken on the picnic rug under the shade of some trees during our family picnic lunch yesterday!!

 

Artwork by Chris Parker-Barnes

Images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin’ Up!

Yayyyyy :) yummy new stuff to play with!!

Posted in Cards, Echoes of Kindness by

This is going to be a really quick post, but I just thought I would share a card I made this afternoon with the new Stampin’ Up! In Colours and one of the new Hostess Stamp Sets which arrived on my front door this morning 🙂  I will post some more details tomorrow when I have more time, but here is the card. 

I kept this card nice and simple as I only had a few minutes yesterday to play with my new goodies.  I have stamped the image with the stazon ink and then coloured with the blender pens with both Riding Hood Red and Pink Pirouette.  These two colours go together beautifully, and now that I have seen all of the new In Colours I think they are all colours that I will use regularly.  The stamp set I have used is one of the new Hostess sets that will be available from 1st April, so if you would like to get this set free, contact me to book a workshop. 

Stamp Set: Echoes of Kindness

Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White

Ink: Black Stazon, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette

Accessories: Bone Scorer and Ruler, Blender Pen, Black Brads 

Artwork copyright Chris Parker-Barnes

Images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin’ Up!

Beautiful Butterfly

Posted in Cards, Natural Beauty, Simply Scrappin' Kit by

This beautiful butterfly is just one example of some embossing that I will be teaching at one of my upcoming classes. Please see my upcoming events page if you would like to know more.

Stamp Sets: Natural Beauty, Three Thoughts

Cardstock: Close to Cocoa,Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Watercolour Paper, DSP from Round Up Simply Scrappin’ Kit.

Inks:  Chocolate Chip, Versamark, Really Rust, Sage Shadow.

Accessories: Vintage Brads, Mat Pack and Piercing Tool, Scallop Circle punch (for the inverted corners), sponge, clear embossing powder and heat tool.

Artwork copyright Chris Parker-Barnes

Images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin’ Up!

First Vintage Card

Posted in Cards, Polka Dot Punches by

This week’s Saturday Cinema Challenge    is to create a vintage card based around the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons, which is a recent movie and one that unfortunately I haven’t seen as yet.  But the challenge of creating a vintage style card was too much for me to pass up, I have admired many vintage cards from afar but never actually made one myself.  So thanks to Brooke and Sankari for getting me that little bit outside of my comfort zone and encouraging me to do something different.  And, to be perfectly honest, I really enjoyed making this card and just love, love, love it!  I think it might be the start of something beautiful 🙂

I have a very slight understanding of the movie and so in this card I have used the torn paper going diagonally across the card to signify the two characters being pulled apart by the passage of time, but the two hearts are crossing over this tear to signify that their love will live through the passage of time no matter what happens.  The words I have used on the card are also in line with the tagline from the movie which is: Life isn’t measured in minutes, but in moments.  I am looking forward to seeing this movie when I get the chance.

Stamp Sets: Polka Dot Punches (Stampin’ Up! Sale-a-Bration) and Time Flies (Clear Stamps by Kelly Panacci).

Cardstock: Creamy Caramel, Very Vanilla and Vellum cardstock (Stampin’ Up!), Lace Background paper by Christina Rae, and San Marco paper by Darkroom Door.

Inks: Close to Cocoa and Versamark (Stampin’ Up!).

Accessories: Crocheted Lace from my personal stash, Stampin’ Up! Hodgepodge Hardware, Stampin’ Up! Gold embossing powder and heat gun, Edge Distresser (Heidi Swapp).

Artwork copyright Chris Parker-Barnes

I had some issues photographing this card, probably because the background paper has a sheen and their seem to be reflections and dark spots in all the wrong places!  I will try again tomorrow, but in the mean time, you get the idea! 🙂

Emma – Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge #19

Posted in Cards, Three Thoughts by

I am a huge fan of everything Jane Austin – I own all of her novels and have watched the movies based on those novels, some of them more times than I could possibly count!  So this week’s  Cinema Saturday Challenge gave me yet another excuse to watch Emma (not that I need an excuse, really) and all of a sudden my 3 year old son, Jamie, wants to watch Emma too.  Every day, in fact! 🙂   So why do I love Jane Austin so much?  I think it is the subtleties that are interwoven into the story lines, the relationships between the characters and the way she develops her story lines.  The sometimes subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, humour, and wit, as well as the scenery, the gorgeous clothes, and the sumtuous colours that are indicitive of the times.

This weeks card is inspired by one of my favourite scenes in the movie (well, there are quite a few of them that are favourites actually) where Emma is trying not to think of Mr Nightley, but in reality can’t stop thinking about him – hence the greeting “Thinking of You”.  The colours I chose for this card are also the colours worn on a number of occasions by Mr Nightley in the Gwyneth Paltrow version of the movie.  He wears a waistcoat of very similar material to my background paper, in the scene where he and Emma are shooting arrows and arguing over Harriet Smith’s refusal of Mr Martin.

Stamp Sets: Three Thoughts (from the Simply Sent Kit)

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, DSP Apple Cider (2008 Spring Mini Catalogue)

Inks: Close to Cocoa ink & marker, Chocolate Chip marker.

Accessories: Piercing Tool & Mat Pack, Scallop Edge Punch, Flower and Pearl from the Pretties Kit, Sponge, Markers, Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Caramel Gingham Ribbon.

 

Artwork copyright Chris Parker-Barnes

Images copyright 1990 – 2009 Stampin’ Up!

Happy Valentine’s Day

Posted in Cards, Polka Dot Punches, Sale-a-bration by

I do hope you are all having a wonderful, creative Valentine’s Day!  Today’s post includes a card and envelope which I recently demonstrated at a meeting held by my upline Larisa O’Donnell.  I really like the layout of this card, and made it specifically to fit inside the envelopes which went with the Carousel Notes.  I did make a similar card for my husband for Valentine’s Day only in red and black with lots of gold embossing but you will have to be satisfied with seeing this one! 🙂  I have again used one of the fantastic Sale-a-Bration stamp sets, and if you, like me, just love this set and would like one for yourself, they are only available until the end of February so contact me soon to find out how you can get one.

Stamp Sets: For a Friend, Polka Dot Punches (Sale-a-Bration).

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose, DSP Rose Red

Ink: Versamark

Accessories: Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Paper Snips, Dimensionals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Artwork copyright Chris Parker-Barnes

Images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin’ Up!

Bush Fire Appeal

Posted in Cards, Uncategorized by

All of you who live in Australia will be aware of the horror bush fires that Victoria have suffered in recent times.  But for those of you who are from overseas and may not know just how bad they have been, more than 1000 homes were burnt down, as well as schools, shops, churches, and in some cases entire towns or communities.  There were also some 209 lives lost.

 Stampin’ Up! are also helping out by donating 50% of the retail value from the sales of ten nominated stamp sets in the period from  the 12th Feb to the 31st March.  Stampin’ Up! are such an amazing company. So far, from sales of the Bushfire Appeal Stamp Sets, they will be donating over $34,600 to the Australian Red Cross in Victoria.  I am really proud to be a demonstator with a company which is willing to donate to other people in times of need, and which has a heart.

 If you are in another country but would still like to donate to the appeal, you can do so by donating to the Red Cross.   I can assure you that even a couple of dollars will be received with gratitude from all of us who live in this beautiful but unpredictable country.

I will be running a fundraising class on March 22nd, please check out the Upcoming Events page for more details.  We will be making a set of  gorgeous cards using the Baroque Motifs Stamp Set, and here is the folder we will be making to put the cards in.

Contact me on 02 62597412 or 0408639475 or email doug_chris@myacn.net.au